Cross Roads

Yesterday I did a very simple thing. I went and watched my local community college softball team play a game. I knew the head coach of the team from way back when I played Bobbysox softball with her in the sixth grade. I also knew her all through Jr High and High School having played basketball together. I hadn't seen Suzy since except for our 10 year high school reunion. I knew she had kept up with the sports, narrowing her broad range of team sports to specializing in softball. She majored in Phys. Ed., played college ball and represented the U.S. in several Pan American Games. She's now on the commitee to choose the 2008 Softball Olympic Team.

You know, it's nice to see people who have a clear view of what they like and what's important ot them. She was always a great athelte and could really motivate her teammates to do their best. Yesterday, she looked like she was having an incredible time and was so encouraging with her team. She still has a great smile.

In that sixth grade year I made the All-Star Bobby-Sox team. Unfortunately I also had a big family waterski vacation planned to houseboat for a week on Lake Shasta. I had been looking forward to it for months. It was happening right smack dab in the middle of the All-Star season. I was told I had to choose. Suzy's family offered to let me stay at their house for the week. I went back and forth. I also wasn't a kid who had spent much time away from my family. I chose the waterski trip.

Looking back this was a pretty big fork in the road for me. The girls who were on that team got super great training plus went into the next season with the" All-Star" rep. It felt like I was playing catch up from then on. I still played and did well but the coaches always knew I was the one who decided not to play on that team. That was a big difference. You'd think that some local kids softball league wouldn't be political but it really was. Coaches and team managers daughters were often selected for All-Star teams over better players. It was kind of a clique.

I was often told that if I could just stick to one sport I could be big-time good. Sorry, that wasn't for me. I loved tennis, waterskiing, basketball, softball, Martail Arts etc. I couldn't seem to narrow it down. That semed kind of boring.

But there are people like Suzy who have that focus, follow their dreams, and make a life for themselves doing what they love. This is good.

I haven't done too bad for myself either, being a head instructor and running my own Martial Arts School, but it made me think while watching that game that I could have very easily ended up where Suzy was. That Waterski trip was fun but that time on the All-Star team could have set me on a different path. Not necessarily a better path but most likely a whole bunch of my life could have been different.

I guess that what you call Cross Roads.